Fourth of July

Chapter 28

"Frank, Frank," Jamia said. "Someone is here from a music magazine and they wanna interview you."

"Really?" I asked. "M-my first interview? I don't know if I'm ready."

"It's gonna be perfect," she said.

She brought me over and I smiled when I saw Evan and Gee on the stage while Evan tried to teach the small boy how to play patty cake. We went outside the venue and I took in a sharp breath from the sudden cold. I pulled my hat from my pocket and pulled it on when we walked up to a guy with a notepad.

"Hey, I'm Frank," I said.

"Ryan," he said, shaking my hand. "I'm from Rock Sound Magazine and I'm writing a little article on new up and coming bands who we believe really have potential."

"I'll leave you two alone," Jamia said before walking off.

"She's sweet, she offered me a lollipop," Ryan said with a small chuckle.

"Sounds like her," I said.

"Anyways, I'm going to be recording this and taking notes, just to clarify," he said, starting the recorder on his phone. "Alright, so when did your band first form?"

"First form? It was probably back in August, so about five months now," I said.

"Oh, five months? That's pretty good to already be on your second solo tour, signed to a major record label and you have a CD done that's making some pretty good sales already," he said. "What would you contribute your success too?"

"I don't know, I think that hard work and luck," I said. "We're practicing as often as we could, planning shows and tours whenever we can. And I think the support of my family helps a lot. I wasn't making a lot of money--I'm still not--so my parents supported me both spiritually and financially a lot. They really helped me get where I am, doing everything I have always dreamed of. I always knew I wanted to be a musician, it's my dream and now I'm finally able to do it."

"What about your bandmates? What's it like with them and being on the road with them?" He asked.

"Oh, they're all so great," I said. "They're my brothers and they mean everything to me, really. And being on the road with them for weeks at a time in a cramped van can drive us up the walls a bit and we can be irritable but most of the time we're just like brothers."

"And Jamia, your manager, is she your girlfriend?" He asked.

"N-no," I denied. "Wh-why would you think that?"

"Just because of the way she talked about you, sorry for assuming," he said. "Going back to the music, are you planning on starting a new tour soon after this? Or are you going to take a break to work on more music?"

"I think I'm going to have a little break from music," I said.

"Oh? At such a crucial moment in the rise of your band is that the smartest decision?" He asked.

"Maybe not but my child is going to be born and my son is more important than music," I said.

"You have a child on the way?" He asked and I smiled and nodded proudly. "You're married?"

"No, I-I..." I trailed off, not know quite what to say. "The baby is between me and a really sweet girl but I'm not with her and I'm raising the baby alone so I'm gonna take some time away from music, maybe I'll just do local shows on weekends every now and then."

"I think that's really sweet," Ryan said. "And you have another kid, right? The one who went up onstage with you while you were performing, the one who was eight or nine."